From ClassicPress versions 2.1 onwards, we have begun to deprecate a number of old JavaScript libraries that have essentially become obsolete. In many cases, the functions they fulfill can now be performed natively by HTML and/or vanilla JavaScript, and so there is no need to replace them with other libraries. In one case — the sortable module in jQuery UI — a new library, SortableJS, has been added to ClassicPress core to replace the one being deprecated.
When a library is deprecated, it will continue to work without issue until at least the next major release of ClassicPress. This is because, while ClassicPress core no longer uses those libraries itself, they will still be included in the bundle of code supplied with ClassicPress until we release ClassicPress version 3.0. At that point, we will make a decision about whether to delete the libraries concerned from the bundle we supply with ClassicPress.
Purpose of Deprecation
In other words, the purpose of deprecation is to give developers plenty of time to update their code. A post on how to replace the Thickbox library may be found on the ClassicPress news blog; another post explains how to replace the jQuery UI draggable, droppable, and sortable modules.
Even after any of these libraries are removed from the ClassicPress bundle, it will still be possible to use them in your own themes and plugins if you also include your own version of the relevant library. We don’t encourage that course of action but, ultimately, it’s up to you. What we do say is that, if you choose to take this course, please do NOT register the name of the handle of the script or style as the same as the one that has been deleted; if you do that, you will be greeted by a series of warnings.
For ease of reference, the names of the handles of the scripts and styles that have been deprecated are as follows. They were all deprecated by versions 2.1.0 and 2.2.0 unless otherwise stated:
Deprecated Scripts
- prototype
- scriptaculous-root
- scriptaculous-builder
- scriptaculous-dragdrop
- scriptaculous-effects
- scriptaculous-slider
- scriptaculous-sound
- scriptaculous-controls
- scriptaculous
- cropper
- jcrop
- jquery-ui-core
- jquery-ui-accordion
- jquery-ui-autocomplete
- jquery-ui-button
- jquery-ui-datepicker
- jquery-ui-dialog
- jquery-ui-draggable
- jquery-ui-droppable
- jquery-ui-menu
- jquery-ui-mouse
- jquery-ui-position
- jquery-ui-progressbar
- jquery-ui-resizable
- jquery-ui-selectable
- jquery-ui-slider
- jquery-ui-sortable
- jquery-ui-spinner
- jquery-ui-tabs
- jquery-ui-tooltip
- jquery-ui-checkboxradio
- jquery-ui-controlgroup
- jquery-effects-core
- jquery-effects-blind
- jquery-effects-bounce
- jquery-effects-clip
- jquery-effects-drop
- jquery-effects-explode
- jquery-effects-fade
- jquery-effects-fold
- jquery-effects-highlight
- jquery-effects-puff
- jquery-effects-pulsate
- jquery-effects-scale
- jquery-effects-shake
- jquery-effects-size
- jquery-effects-slide
- jquery-effects-transfer
- wp-pointer
- farbtastic
- thickbox
- clipboard
- hoverIntent
- wp-api (v.2.3.0)
- moment (v.2.3.0)
Deprecated Styles
- deprecated-media
- colors-fresh
- open-sans
- jcrop
- wp-jquery-ui-dialog
- farbtastic
- thickbox